There are a lot of hot investing stories right now, including big trouble for Big Oil and volatility for some of the biggest names in tech. And, of course, we have our normal crop of fashionable trades moving big in short order — including Netflix
NFLX, +1.60%
surging after earnings and 3D-printing small cap Stratasys
SSYS, -0.28%
plummeting 30% since Thanksgiving.

But while chasing these momentum plays of the moment may be an adrenaline rush, it can be hazardous to your portfolio.

The fatal flaw of many investors make is trading too much, chasing fleeting trends instead of keeping their eyes on the long-term plays that can make them real money. They overlook the power of regular dividends over time; they are ruled by emotions that make them buy too high and sell too low; they chase confusing companies with amazing stories but non-existent profits.

So why not make a change in 2015, and stick with an old favorite that may be boring… but could drive serious profits to your portfolio over this year, and beyond?

Why not look into industrial giant General Electric
GE, +1.65%
? Here are a few big reasons you should:

Strong earnings:GE reported good earnings that hit expectations with 4% sales growth, and beat on the bottom line. That makes a full year where General Electric either met or exceeded its earnings targets. Equally important is strong guidance from GE, with predictions of double-digit earnings growth in its industrial division and orders up nicely, particularly in its booming health-care division.

Restructuring efficiencies: The earnings beat and revenue growth weren’t amazing, but the long-term trend will only get better across 2015 and beyond, as GE refocuses and rids itself of arms that don’t meet with its core industrial mission. Efforts include spinning off consumer financial services company Synchrony Financial
SYF, +2.21%
in 2014, as well as a $13.5 billion acquisition of energy grid businesses from French multinational Alstom and the sale of its consumer appliances biz to Electrolux for $3.3 billion. Fourth-quarter margins were up 50 basis points over the same period in 2013, but investors should expect that trend to accelerate across the New Year.

Long-term energy opportunity: Admittedly, energy operations have been challenged at GE — and for many other publicly traded stocks, too. So why be bullish as General Electric gets more involved in this sector instead of less? Well, because nobody thinks crude oil will stay under $50 forever. Over the next year or two, as GE continues to expand its operations and plows money into R&D, it will finish in a great position to profit once energy prices stabilize and move higher in the long term. Oh, and let’s not forget the impressive renewables and nuclear businesses that GE operates as the world continues to focus on carbon emissions and clean energy alternatives.

Wall Street is optimistic: In December, RBC put an “outperform” rating on GE with a $28 price, and UBS followed with a “buy” rating and a $30 target just last week — which equal out to predictions of 15% to 25% in the next year for GE stock.

Attractive valuation: General Electric is trading for a forward price-to-earnings of about 13.8 right now. Compare that with an average forward P/E of about 15.3 for the 30 components in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA, +0.37%
right now, or a forward P/E of 16.7 for the S&P 500
SPX, +0.18%
. And given the company’s track record lately of beating earnings, that makes GE’s forward-earnings multiple even more attractive. Additionally, GE trades for only a slight premium with a price-to-book ratio of 1.8, making it one of the best in the Dow 30; the average price-book for is about 3.0 currently.

Real assets: Speaking of book value and assets, many investors are surprised to learn that General Electric boasts over $90 billion in cash — with another $50 billion in longer-term investments! This, along with its tangible property like machinery, gives GE more than $650 billion in total assets. Remember this the next time you wonder how to value your favorite risky mobile play or biotech stock that is riding only on dreams and a few good ideas.

Dividend potential: GE has paid dividends consecutively since 1899. And while shareholders are still upset about the massive cut in distributions in 2009 as a result of the financial crisis, from 31 cents a share to just 10 cents a share, distributions have more than doubled since then back to 23 cents a share. Furthermore, the divestiture of financial operations like Synchrony are proof that GE has moved away from cyclical and risky operations in favor of reliable income streams to fuel dividends. Dividends are only running at about half of profits right now, meaning they are both sustainable and eligible for future increases…. Not bad, considering GE stock already yields about 3.8% at current prices.

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